In the construction of highways, buildings, and other structures utilizing concrete, it is necessary from time to time to test the strength of a sample of the poured concrete to ensure that it has sufficient structural strength required for a particular installation. The most common method of testing concrete has been to take a sample of fresh concrete from a mix at a construction site.
Specifically, fresh concrete is poured into a concrete test cylinder mold to form a cylindrical concrete test cylinder. Upon completion of the cylinder fabrication process, the poured concrete extends above the top of the concrete test cylinder mold. At this point, the concrete that extends above the top of the concrete test cylinder is manually struck off with a trowel or a float. The concrete remaining in the test cylinder mold is then left to set. The following day the concrete test cylinder molds are picked up and delivered to a laboratory where the concrete test cylinders are removed from the concrete test cylinder molds and cured under laboratory conditions.
After curing, the concrete test cylinders are tested for compressive strength. The compressive strength of the concrete test cylinders are a representation of the strength of the concrete placed in the structure.
The problem with the prior art concrete test cylinders that are produced in conventional concrete test cylinder molds is that the concrete test cylinders produced are non-uniform. Specifically, the prior art concrete test cylinder molds produce concrete test cylinders that vary in height, diameter and overall smoothness. The prior art does not ensure that every sample is of the same height, diameter and level. As a result, many concrete test cylinders are non-planar or have a oval diameter at the top of the mold. Accordingly, the accuracy of the test of the concrete test cylinder is reduced since the overall compressive strength of the concrete test cylinder can be erratic due to the non-uniformity of the concrete test cylinder.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art to improve the uniformity of a concrete test cylinder through the use of an efficient and cost effective product.
Nothing in the prior art provides the benefits attendant with the present invention.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the inadequacies of the prior art devices and which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reproducibly producing a concrete test sample that is uniform in height, diameter and overall smoothness.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a sample by a method that is quick and easy to use and also relatively inexpensive when compared to present methods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that is pressed against the top of a concrete test cylinder mold to excrete excess concrete through at least one excretion hole positioned in the cap.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that is rotated against the top of a concrete test cylinder mold to channel excess concrete and air through the use of at least one radial trough positioned in the cap and to excrete the excess concrete and air through at least one excretion hole in the cap.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that is rotated against the top of a concrete test cylinder mold to smooth the surface of the concrete within the concrete test cylinder mold through the use of at least one radial trough positioned in the cap.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that has internal threads for threadedly engaging external threads on a concrete test cylinder mold thereby increasing the rotatability of the cap upon the concrete test cylinder mold.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that has a handle for rotating the cap upon the top of a concrete test cylinder mold.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cap that rotatably separates from concrete after the initial set of the concrete within a concrete test cylinder mold.
Another object of the present invention is to increase the efficiency and simplicity of producing a uniform and reproducible concrete test sample through the placement of a cap with at least one excretion hole onto a concrete test sample mold.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for molding a concrete test cylinder, comprising the steps of pouring concrete into a concrete test cylinder mold, the poured concrete extending above a top portion of the concrete test cylinder mold; placing a cap on the top portion of the concrete test cylinder mold, the cap having at least one excretion hole; pressing the cap against the top portion of the concrete test cylinder mold, whereby excess concrete is excreted through the excretion hole in the cap; rotating the cap prior to initial set of the concrete; curing the poured concrete in the concrete test cylinder mold for a predetermined time; and removing the cured concrete from the concrete test cylinder mold, whereby a reproducible concrete test cylinder is produced.
Still yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for molding a concrete test cylinder, comprising the steps of pouring concrete into a concrete test cylinder mold, the poured concrete extending above a top portion of the concrete test cylinder mold; placing a cap on top of the concrete test cylinder mold, the cap having at least one radial trough and at least one excretion hole; rotating the cap, whereby excess concrete is channeled by the radial trough for excretion though the excretion hole in the cap; rotating the cap prior to initial set of the concrete; curing the poured concrete in the concrete test cylinder mold for a predetermined time; and removing the cured concrete from the concrete test cylinder mold, whereby a reproducible concrete test cylinder is produced.
Another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for molding a concrete test cylinder, comprising in combination a concrete test cylinder mold having a top portion; and a cap having at least one excretion hole positioned on the top portion of the concrete test cylinder mold, whereby excess concrete is excreted through the excretion hole in the cap.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for molding a concrete test cylinder, comprising in combination a concrete test cylinder mold having a top portion; and a cap having at least one radial trough and at least one excretion hole positioned on the top portion, whereby excess concrete is channeled by the radial trough for excretion though the excretion hole in the cap.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.